Aspect - Elite Savage Metal-fisted Bear | Health : 6/61 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 6 | Next 740 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 8 | slot cost: 3
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: 4 (+4/level)
Might: 67 (+6/level)
Speed: 14
Magic: 0
Toughness: 46 (+6/level)
Resistance: 24 (+6/level)
-Abilities-
Embolden Claws
Savage Slam
Innate Trait: Pure Metallic Skeleton
Blocks 15 physical damage passively.
61 max health…
Staring at Berys’ page always instilled a sense of awe in Theron’s heart. With its insane growth, he didn’t doubt that his elite summon would carry him for the rest of his journey in this zone. He distributed 1 point in its speed then put two in might and another in toughness. He grimaced as he found his strength to propel himself up, then shuffled toward the sapling standing rigid amidst the carnage.
But before that…
Theron’s eyes drifted toward the dead Elite and the multitudes of dead trolls strung about on the battlefield.
###
[Rank 2: Silver-back Beast Troll[elite] learned. Progress: 50%]
[You obtained a materia: R-2 Silver-back beast troll.] x2
2 materias… sweet.
The lull in the night allowed Berys a moment of rest, recovering its health while Theron proceeded to finish up the event.
[Sapling life: 100/100. Event complete!]
[Congratulations, you achieved a perfect score! Calculating rewards…]
[You discovered a new quest! Clear all hidden events in your zone(1/4)]
A surge of fire burned in his stomach. What kind of rewards would he get this time? The last time he completed a similar event, one of the cubs fell under the hands of the panthers, and the spoils granted to him weren’t shabby at all, in fact, the wand still saw use up until today.
This time, he had a perfect score.
[Reward calculation complete.]
Theron’s eyes winced when a burst of light radiated from where the sapling stood erect. Evolution… the reward must’ve had something to do with it. Theron held his expectations down low, just in case what he got underwhelmed him. He’d been disappointed one too many times in the past, his initial reaction simply was a way for him to cope. Lux panted beside him, its snout sniffing Theron’s trembling arms, concerned. “You saved us this time again, pal.” He gave it a gentle ruffling of its head, careful to not touch its frigid horn.
In the midst of their night, a barked chest materialized into the scene, replacing the sapling. Its exterior was entirely made of roots and tree materials, and from a glance, it appeared… alive, somehow. Every once in a while, Theron swore he saw it breathing, but perhaps the recent fight had addled his mind so much his eyes saw stars. Regardless, he rubbed its cool surface, feeling every inch of its fiber before pulling it open. A ray of light burst, unveiling the contents insides.
Theron stood agape, taking his time to process what lay within.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
The first thing he saw was a bracelet made of roots and vines, adorned with a dark gem in its center. He pinched it, studying its texture and form, then reading off the description granted by the system.
[Nature’s bracelet of summoning: Reduces the mana cost of summoning by 5.]
Awesome. He immediately equipped the bracelet of his arms, then perused the other contents within the chest. The next thing he saw was a gem—a summon slot gem—a find more precious than no other. He crushed it immediately, then retrieved the last queer object waiting within.
A seed.
[Sapling’s crystal of evolution: A special material used in the evolution of a rank-2 aspect to rank 3. Imbues extra 10 toughness upon evolving and grants a passive ability, Ghost bark barbed skin. Gene slot required: 5.]
[Ghost bark barbed skin: Passively reflects 10% of all damage taken, up to 5 damage. Increases base toughness and resistance by 5.]
[Gene slots: Every evolution post rank-2 grants a set amount of gene slots, allowing drifters to customize their evolution further. Gene slots differ based on rarity and rank.]
Extra toughness and a passive ability… all sounded like music to his ears. The whole bit about the gene slots, he understood well, but his eyes couldn’t leave the field about the passive ability, which suited Berys’ role extremely well. Theron stored the quaint seed in his satchel, saving it for his rank-3 evolution.
After swiping the bottom of the treasure chest once more, he got up, witnessing the chest dissipate into thin air. With Berys’ low health, he couldn’t risk it dying on his way back to the checkpoint. He unsummoned it, then waited until he had enough mana for Borys to return.
With a smile, Theron’s old party perused the darkness, using the tall checkpoint as a guide.
Well, that was his plan until the sounds of a conversation echoed.
“The roars came from here,” A voice shook the sheer silence from a distance not so far away from where Theron stood. He ordered Borys to hunker behind the cover of trees, thankful its sable fur blended with the surroundings. “You, check that side.” The man pointed at a distance not so far away from the clearing.
Another man skulked to where Theron came from, his eyes cold with apathy. A large sable wolf—a rank two—followed closely behind, its blue eyes burned as they strolled past. Hubert’s men. Theron concluded after a while, maintaining his position between the two men patrolling the outskirts of the opening. Only their footsteps and the voice of the rivulet clamored within the dark mantle of night. With both Borys and Berys wounded, and Lux’s mana scant, Theron’s combat options were severely limited. Theron had slots left for two additional rank-1 summons, or perhaps he could use it for the treant…
“Dead Trolls here!” The man shouted, garnering the attention of his partner, “He’s killed all of them… Are you sure we can take this guy on ourselves?”
The other man stepped into the clearing, gawking at the scene of absolute carnage, “What? Gary’s report said he only possessed two rank-two aspects… but this?”
Gary… was that the man he talked with before? Theron preyed on the two sweaty, grisly men, using the sable forest as his cover, uncertain of his next move. Hubert’s men had peered into his territory twice now, a sign their group saw him as a non-threat. Judging from their eyes, this time, none of them meant to walk away peacefully. He hoped to delay this confrontation a while longer, but it seemed impossible, and he loathed having random people take the resources within his zone without permission.
Borys, convene from my right, be mindful of others. Lux, come with me.
The two aspects followed Theron’s command, then he summoned the other two rank-1 aspects available, both their manacost reduced to zero since he possessed the bracelet. A thankful smile crept as he stalked the two wandering about in the clearing, analyzing the bodies strung about. “This… This one’s way bigger than the others… don’t tell me-“ He spoke with a whisper, beckoning the other to come over, “-an elite?”
“It is…” The other man replied, his face whitening, “Are you sure we can handle this guy on our own? We ought to rendezvous with the others in his checkpoint; it’s a mistake to sneak away from him.”
“Hubert said we can control this zone if we managed to kill him without Gary’s help.” The other replied, his voice shaking. “Damn it all.”
They’re in my checkpoint too? Theron frowned upon the revelation, unable to keep the annoyance off his chest. With a glare, he willed both Tels and Moss to enter the fray, telling Lux to support them with what little magic it had left. Six shots left, he thought as he opened its status page.
“Wait! What’s that?” One rose from his crouching position, witnessing the entrance of Theron’s aspects. “Two rank-ones, it must be his…” He pulled the sleeve of the other, “-get up.”
“The boss isn’t happy you rejected his offer,” The other spoke with venom in his voice, faking confidence, “No way you got out of this… carnage scot-free, my man, and the fact you showed us your unevolved aspects meant one thing-“ he smirked, commanding his rank-two boar to position itself beside him, “-you don’t have access to your strongest aspects anymore, right?”
Well, he isn’t wrong… Theron considered showing himself, but held on to that thought, wishing them to underestimate him until the right time came. Borys lurked behind the cover of the trees to his right, far enough none spotted it save for himself, fully prepared to launch its assault.
“He’s scared,” The one with the boar added, brandishing his aspect with a glee, “If you-“
A shot of horn pulse flew, aimed straight at his head. It grazed his chin as he ducked, then Borys’ roar shook the trees as it began its blitz, both claws glinting from its buff, and with the hunter of the night active, its speed was a step faster than usual. The sable wolf withstood Borys’ charge with its own ability—the wolf’s crushing bite, and it also came with its own passive—black wolf, a combination of the starter dire wolf and the sable panther. The two clashed, claws against fangs, and a spark of orange flourished before Borys overpowered the poor wolf. The boar rushed in to aid it, but his rank ones stood in the way, both adopting an evasive stance, all according to Theron’s plans.
Low levels… They’re probably fresh from evolving.
“Damnit! I’m losing!” The one with the wolf aspect screamed, “We have to-“ He stopped to avoid another projectile coming his way, withdrawing into the cover of bark and bushes, “Help me! Use your fireball! There!”
Here it comes.
The other raised his palm to Lux’s general position, “Damn you!” It was brief, but Theron spotted a flash of fire before he ordered Lux to swerve aside, avoiding a large, round ball of fire burning the bark behind them. “Cast your damned buff on my boar! I’ll kill them all!” He yelled as the wolf’s owner pulled his hand aside, casting some sort of barrier on the giant boar.
Borys’ claws proved too much for the wolf to bear. With a mighty swing, the wolf was flung aside as the boar did the same to Theron’s rank ones, almost killing them from a single charge as it barreled toward Borys’ lurking figure. Shit, Theron grimaced as he pulled his rank ones back, then willed Borys to find cover behind a staunch tree, just in time as the charge slammed the said tree, ripping its midsection apart before two ice projectiles cracked the barrier mantling the boar. The third shattered the shield entirely, allowing Borys a swift retaliation with two swipes against its snout. The boar recoiled as the men focused on Theron’s wolf.
Theron separated himself from Lux, using the chaos to flank the men from the other side, his sable cloak mantling him with another layer of black. None saw him as he broke through the bushes, his growth in attributes granted him a higher speed and strength than he expected. Wisps of leaves and vines flew as he crashed against the one hiding behind the trees, catching him by complete surprise. One last horn pulse found its mark on the boar’s owner, penetrating his shoulder, and freezing his entire upper arm while Theron grabbed his shield by its side and slammed his shield downward. An ugly crack resounded as he swerved aside, yanking his shield to fend off another fireball, baring his teeth as a sizzle burned the palm of his hand.
“You-“ He said naught before Theron charged, rushing in and avoiding the man’s attempt to grab him. With the wolf dissipating and the boar losing its grounds, Theron’s right arm found its path toward the boar owner’s sides, delivering a staunch blow strong enough to keel him over, all the while Borys triumphed over the boar with a set of furious swipes. With one dead, and the other losing his access to his aspect, Theron stood victorious in the end.